I started Christmas shopping yesterday! Yes yes. I get that Christmas is overpowering Thanksgiving, that ya’ll just want to wait until AFTER Thanksgiving to devote equal time to each holiday. However! If you wait until after Thanksgiving to buy gifts? You will not only be facing mobs of people in stores (which means super long lines and less inventory to pick from!), but you’ll also only have roughly three weeks to buy everything. Since I like to personalize as much as possible, I need more than 3 weeks to buy for everyone on the list. SO. Christmas shopping really got into full swing yesterday!
I mailed the very last wedding Thank You today. I thought I had done it already, but turns out? I hadn’t addressed the envelope so it was still sitting in my stationery box. Oops. Yay we’re done!
Thank Yous…are touchy with me. I believe Thank Yous should be in abundance. However, they’re always sent so that the recipient will understand that whatever you received (gift, help, kind word, etc.) was appreciated. We sent out Thank You cards for two different things wedding-related: 1) All bridal party members got a gift and a card saying why we appreciated them/thanks, 2) all wedding guests who gave us a gift received a card signed with thoughts from me and DH. We did not send out Thank You cards to friends/family who did not give a gift though, as we believe the wedding was a big party that was as much for us as it was for guests. <–I don’t think just attending requires us to send out additional Thank Yous. Am I wrong?
We finished painting the dining room. It’s actually 100% done and we’ve been loving it ever since. It doesn’t look like our room… DH commented that it looks like something out of a Martha Stewart magazine. I like that comment 😉 I’ll post pictures of it tomorrow so everyone can see! We’re going to clean up the entryway and living room tonight, then tomorrow we’ll start painting the living room. Our goal is to complete that room by Thanksgiving! (And then complete the spare bedroom by December 10!).
I feel better about painting the apartment now. I peeked through some of my neighbors windows (not like a creeper…I just looked out mine and into theirs…fair game if they don’t have curtains/blinds). The people across the courtyard from us have RED RED RED walls in their living room. BAM! We’re fine 😉 We’re also going to live here forever–or until I can’t take the fact that our neighbors under us smoke. And our bedroom sometimes smells faintly of cigarettes. Blech.
Speaking of cigarettes….I had to move to a different spot on the bus this morning because a young man plopped down next to me and sent me into a fit of a migraine. He smelled awful–like someone soaked him in cigarettes and hung him to dry in the smoke after. He was a student at the University I work at, so I know he’s affluent and educated. But really? Do people who smoke become immune to the smell? I HATE this smell more than many other things in the world and try really hard to avoid it when I can. But he made the entire bus smell the moment he walked on.
A few months ago, I got four pieces tailored at a local dry cleaner. The tailoring on those four pieces ended up being more than $100. I was being cheap and declined to even take two of the pieces back (seriously… these pieces weren’t even worth that much). The other two items were dresses that meant alot to me, so I paid for the alterations. I’m wearing one of the dresses today and the hemline? Is significantly higher. To the point where I keep pulling down my dress at work. Next time I’m altering the items myself 😦 I feel like I need some thick tights on instead of panty hose.
I’ll be honest: I don’t really care about the Occupy Wallstreet movement. I don’t care much about the NBA lockout. I don’t care about the fuss of Herman Cain, Sarah Palin, and Joe Paterno. Sure, I have opinions on it all, but I don’t really care to hear everyone up in arms. What is taking my attention right now is…PEANUT BUTTER AND PUMPKIN SHORTAGES. This will be a long winter. (I know I know. I sound shallow. But the world is VERY serious sometimes and I can only handle so much of it… I need to pick and choose my battles and ^^those heavier items aren’t in my books).
I’m not pregnant. If I have the ultimate say, I won’t be (if some higher power deems me to be at any point, ok then. But now? No.). And I don’t think I’ll be at all ready to consider having kids for another, oh, 5 years. So now that that’s out of the way, no more questions about it. Ok? 😉
I’m onto week 2 of maintenance with Weight Watchers this week. I only had a .2 gain, which means I’m still .8 under my goal weight. Perfect! They said whatever I’ve been doing is great and I need to keep that. Though I feel immense pressure. I’ll be a Lifetime member in 4 weeks… but I have to maintain my weight within 2 lb. of the goal (up or down). I feel like up? Yes. I can’t go over 142. But down? What’s it matter if I weigh 135 or 138? It’s under my goal!
Somebody please find me a) comfy shoes, b) jeans that fit.
That $100 allowance that DH and I each get at the start of each month? I used all mine this weekend. I still have more than two weeks to get through on zero spending money. *Sigh* I’m even a bit in debt because I had a 20% off coupon at a store that NEVER has coupons. So I bought a gift for someone for Christmas, then picked up two eyeliners for me (roughly $14 set back right now…). This $100 thing is hard. VERY hard. Next month I’m going to set better rules about what is personal spending and what’s not (I used $21 of mine on Weight Watchers point snacks. It’s food. Should food really be a personal expense? I’d think eye liners are!).
Dear me. How was your weekend?
thediynewlywed 
1. No, you don’t send out thank-yous to people who didn’t send a gift. Did you have people come to your wedding and not bring a gift? That’s very, very rude. If you receive a wedding invitation, you send a gift, plain and simple. Etiquette should not be ignored.
2. Who wants to know if you’re pregnant?
3. I don’t think food should count as a personal expense. Especially if Ross could eat it if he really wanted to.
1. We did. And I didn’t think anything of it until someone mentioned someone else didn’t receive a thank you. Well, it’s because we didn’t get a gift. But we already thanked the person. So I feel like it’s bad etiquette on my part not to send them a gift thanking them for uh… being there! We truly are happy they spent the day with us. But again, it’s something I wonder about. And I feel the same way you do. I’m able to send a gift, so any invites I get I’ll send one!
2. Who doesn’t want to know these days 😉 Family mostly.
3. I don’t think it should either. However… going out to eat is in our personal expense fund. If he decides to eat McDonald’s everyday for lunch, he has to pay for it himself. And he wouldn’t eat these bars even if they were hte last thing in the house. He doesn’t like the ww food. So I can understand it. I just have to suck it up. >< Thank goodness Thanksgiving is coming soon!
Not only do you not have to face mobs in stores if you start shopping early, but you also don’t have to worry about choosing expedited shipping or anything like that if you shop online! By shopping early, I can choose the cheapest shipping option (often free), wait for it to get here, and still have PLENTY of time to get the present wrapped or even shipped back out to the recipient if they live elsewhere. So much less stressful than trying to do everything after Thanksgiving.
Are there pumpkin shortages there?? My grocery store has oodles of canned pumpkin! And why the heck are people already asking if you’re pregnant? Sheesh.
I am very jealous of your $100/month spending money! Personal spending money was one of the first things to be cut from our budget when we started buckling down, and then when Jason got a raise this summer, it coincided with us needing to pay off some medical debt. Booo! I can’t wait to have routine personal money again. 🙂 But, I would say that snacks should go into the grocery budget, unless they’re ridiculous like $10 blocks of cheese or something. But if they’re just ordinary WW snacks, I say grocery budget. You can’t be expected NOT to snack, and I’m sure Ross eats snacks sometimes too, right?
I was SO happy to be able to choose the cheapest shipping option for a few of my orders. Even if it takes two weeks to get here, it’s still worth it. But I hadn’t thought of that benefit. Thank you much!
Peanut butter is the worst. Because of the shortage the prices have skyrocketed! We’re buying off brands (Aldi) and even those went up almost a dollar! Yikes. The pumpkin is around, but expensive. Cheaper to buy a pumpkin and DIY.
I’m having a hard time sticking to the $100! I’m going to return a) a pair of tights that I didnt need, and b) two eyeliners. Because that money? Could go to something else and I was being greedy. So we’ll have $25 back in our account and I’ll be able to freely spend my December money without already being in debt 😉 Doing it all Saturday!
And I bought $21 worth of snacks because they were all super on sale (the WW ones are usually pricey). But half off made me get twice as much for the same price. So I figured it would last me all month (And it will!). I’ll talk with him about this. Eating out is in our personal budgets… but not sure about snacky, prepared foods!
I don’t send gifts any longer for invites from people I don’t know well, don’t plan to know well, am not related to, etc. Some folks send out tons of invites, trolling for gifts. Not obligated to send a gift in exchange for an invitation. I do send a card.
And I have never asked you if you’re pregnant. Next to your DH, I am probably the only person who could ask that and not be going beyond my job description. Some folks are beyond gutsy.
I actually bought a couple of Christmas presents today. 🙂
I don’t get invited to very many things (I’m not on the same level on the social totem pole as you ;)). But I have sent a gift when I could! I couldn’t afford anything for Anne when she sent her thing, but I did think about it~
Though when I AM pregnant, mom, you’ll be the second to know (DH will of course be the first ;p).
WHAT DID YOU BUY?!
amending the above reply. I do, of course, give a gift if I attend the wedding or reception. Usually it’s a check.
Checks are pretty fabulous. But I DOOO like personalizing gifts as well 😉
I don’t see why a thank you would be expected by people who came to a free party, ate free food, and drank free beverages – and didn’t get you anything as a gift.
The pregnancy thing will be a topic of discussion every time you get near anyone now, just be warned. Your head will want to explode at the thought of having children because of everyone harassing you now that you’re married. (It’s always “do you have a boyfriend,” “when are you getting married?!” “omg you’re married, have babies NOW!”…I’m wondering what’s next.) As a young mother of 3, I can tell you with confidence to have kids (or not) on you and your husband’s time. It is definitely not something to rush into, and I’m glad that you’re not letting the pressure get to you 🙂
I loved your bit about not caring to see people up in arms about stuff that’s going on right now. I was more upset about Andy Rooney dying than the Occupy Movement, and I’m saddened by the pumpkin shortage as well.
Our budget is set up slightly differently, so I don’t have any wisdom for you there…but it does seem that buy-from-store-take-it-home food shouldn’t count. I mean, what if you had special dietary concerns for health reasons and you had to buy things your husband wouldn’t eat? Would it come out of your spend money then, or would it be grocery money?
I wonder, now that you have kids, do people ever ask, “OMG YOU HAVE THREE?!?! HOW DO YOU DO IT? WHY???” It’s like they pressure you into having kids and then ask why you did? ;p
I think how we have it set up right now it would come from our personal spending money… even DH was wondering if we only got $100 for the month or if we would get more. I Told him it was it and he gulped. So maybe this is good for us to go over what counts/doesnt count and why $100 ea. is appropriate! (Seems like an awful lot of money..and I blew mine so fast!)
People who smoke do become immune to the smell (in addition to having a diminished sense of smell). I grew up with smoking parents and even I didn’t notice the smell. Now that my mom has quit smoking for good (she’s been smoke-free for a number of years now. Hurray!) she complains when she smells cigarettes. She understands now how terrible it smells.
I know in high school I borrowed someone’s letterman jacket (a guy I had a crush on). I LOVED wearing it for a number of reasons, but when I gave it back, he took one whiff and went OMG YOU STINK! and that was the last time I Ever spoke to him again 😦
I cannont wait to see the apartment now!!! It sounds so pretty!!! no kids?!?!? take your time! and even people who smoke can still smell it! yuck! sounds bad because yes… for the moment I do it.. but stale cig smoke is gross…
❤
Hopefully the apartment will be 90% complete by the time your folks get here. I’m crossing my fingers at least 😀 😀 😀 Your brother has completely delved head FIRST into this and he even asked to start painting the next room NOW. We had a two-day break. Sheesh 😉
No kids. For a while. I’ve always been of the mindset that I can’t ever see myself having kids. But I’m willing to give it a try as long as I can be selfish for a while… Kind of like the When Harry Met Sally thing… fly off to Rome on a moment’s notice, have sex on the kitchen floor… etc etc. Lots of things you can’t do with kids, and lots of things I won’t! (Like go to movies or out to eat. Or to many stores…).
If cigarette smoke smelled like roses, I’d be a-okay with it. Man why does it have to smell so bad though!? And I’ve never smelled YOU like that…you always smell fresh 😀 Maybe this kid just hadn’t bathed or was up all night? I feel bad for him.